One should point out that, like so many mythical beings,the chimera has a solid historical root. In the hills above Olympos (modern Cirali) on the southwestern Turkish coast there are fissures from which natural gas (methane, I believe) issues continuously. The gas ignites spontaneously, so that the barren rock fields show flickering flames at all times. Olympus is about 90 km southwest of Antalya and well worth a visit.